Redskins Briefs: Ellard Reaches 800-catch Mark

Redskins Briefs

November 24, 1997|By WARNER HESSLER Daily Press

The Washington Redskins' Henry Ellard made his third catch of Sunday night's tie against the New York Giants midway through the fourth quarter, making him just the fifth receiver in NFL history to reach the 800-reception plateau.

By doing so, Ellard joined a list that includes Andre Reed, Steve Largent, Art Monk and Jerry Rice.

``God has blessed me,'' said Ellard, 36, ``and I've worked hard not to waste those gifts.''

BOYS' NIGHT OUT. Saturday was not a normal day on the road for the New York Giants. Instead of arriving at their hotel in the late afternoon and passing away the night with a team meeting and dinner, the Giants went out on the town, per head coach Jim Fassel's instructions.

Fassel put together a list of seven or eight of the better eateries in Washington and ordered all of his assistant coaches to take members of their respective units to dinner. He assigned each unit to a different restaurant. Fassel dined with his wife.

The assistant coaches' duties ended when the checks arrived. Each player had to pay for his own meal.

TAKING IT WELL. Redskins offensive lineman Shar Pourdanesh, who had started the past 18 games at left or right tackle, went to the bench in favor of a guy who had been starting for most of the past 11 years.

Regular right tackle Ed Simmons, who had played sparingly in the past three games because of assorted knee and shoulder problems, returned to the starting lineup and Pourdanesh took a seat.

``I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed,'' said Pourdanesh, ``but I understand my place on this team.''

``Shar has proven he's a starter, and it's probably not being fair to him,'' coach Norv Turner said before the game, ``but Ed's healthy and ready to go.''

DOWN THE STRETCH. The Giants have a tough schedule heading into the final month of the season. They are at home to Tampa Bay and Washington, and on the road to Philadelphia and Dallas. The Redskins play host to St. Louis and Philadelphia and go to Arizona and to play the Giants.

If the NFC East race comes down to the final week, the Redskins are at home to Philadelphia and the Giants are at Dallas.

QUICK KICKS. General-admission tickets at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, priced at $40, $50 and $60, were being scalped for up to $125 an hour before kickoff. ... Redskins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan coached 10 of the Giants' 11 starters when he was with New York last year. The 11th, strong safety Jesse Campbell, joined the Redskins as a free agent. ... A wicked storm of rain and wind swept through the Landover, Md., area about three hours before kickoff. The field was covered, though, and the natural-turf field was in good shape.

NEXT GAME. The Redskins return to Jack Kent Cooke Stadium on Sunday to play the St. Louis Rams at 1 p.m.